Swapo Party Secretary-General, Sophia Shaningwa, has announced that there will be no extra-ordinary congress, confirming that Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah will be the party’s presidential candidate for the 2024 election.
Nandi-Ndaitwah secured her position as the party's vice president during the seventh congress held in November last year. Namibians are set to return to the polls next year for the Presidential and National Assembly (NA) elections.
Speaking at a Swapo rally in Keetmanshoop over the weekend, Shaningwa urged party members to mobilise and prepare for the 2024 presidential and NA elections, emphasising that Nandi-Ndaitwah is the sole Swapo party presidential candidate.
“Let us go out and vote for Namibia's first female president. We have a responsibility to ensure that she receives our support. I will not hesitate to endorse her as the candidate for the Swapo party, and there will be no alternative candidate and no extraordinary-congress,” she said.
Shaningwa noted Nandi-Ndaitwah’s qualifications in both domestic and international matters and praised her as a compassionate leader who listens not only with her ears, but with her heart. She urged party members to rally behind Nandi-Ndaitwah as they had done for the first, second, and third presidents of the party and the country.
Matheus Mumbala, Swapo party regional coordinator for the ||Kharas Region, echoed the sentiment of party unity and support for Nandi-Ndaitwah as the 2024 presidential candidate.
'We are hearing people talking about extra-ordinary congress, that will not happen. It happened once in 2004 but it will not repeat itself, our rules and procedures are clear. We will have an electoral college to elect candidates for members of parliament but as far as presidential candidate goes, congress has pronounced itself, even if you were in support or not,” he said.
On her part Nandi-Ndaitwah said the party’s aim should be to reclaim all lost political ground, adding that the most powerful political weapon available to reclaim the lost ground is by uniting the people towards a shared socio-economic prosperity.
“I urge you to work harder to ensure that come 2024, Swapo party and its presidential candidate are given unreserved support in order to ensure a landslide victory,” she said.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency